Michael De Stefano

Born into a band of roughneck migrants, Pablo Cordero spends his youth harvesting wheat under an unforgiving sun on the dusty plains of the Midwest. After witnessing the rape and subsequent death of his mother, and the slaying of a ruthless landowner, Pablo breaks free from the band and begins his unlikely ascension into society. There, he discovers the strength of his own spirit and love that transcends Heaven and earth.

Andy stands alone in the hallway, trembling, his sweaty hand clutching to the doorknob. He knows what lies on the other side of the door and what he must do. Though, should he summon the courage to open it, the world that he has come to know will end. The question is, can Andy Trumaine, the once orphaned boy, sacrifice himself for another?

Set in Western Pennsylvania, The Prodigy of Saint Pete’s follows Andy Trumaine, a teenage boy, who flees the shambles of his adopted home. With a heavy heart and his word violently shifting beneath him, Andy embarks on an improbable journey, leaving behind secrets too dark to mention. Along the way, he encounters a unique array of characters, though, it is a long forgotten voice from his past that comes to him in dreams, to conquer his fear and guide him through the wilderness. With an eye to the future, little does Andy know, he had been set on a collision course with his past and a place called Saint Pete’s Orphanage.

What do you get when you take a thief, Moose, self-mutilating sexual dependent, Holy Roller, womanizer, right wing atheist, and oppose them with an irrepressible antagonist? In the Time of Their Restlessness!

Set in the 1970s, comes the tale of a ragtag collection of unlikely friends. They lean on each other and challenge each other. They rise and fall through their power struggles, personal tragedies and sexual awakenings and in the end must reinvent themselves. Among them, Michael Rossi and Ella Pace learn the lessons of life’s bitter ironies the hard way. Michael buries his scars, whereas Ella, boldly and with defiance, wears hers outwardly. Their complex relationship becomes a game without ground rules that plays out over an ever-shifting landscape, and which sees the self-denial of one bring about the self-destruction of the other. They get by, though, as they say, with a little help from their friends. But it isn’t until one among them falls that the need for faith is discovered and the meaning of life is revealed.

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Author’s notes: Big or small, some have an adventure gene that at times begs to chuck it all, hit the open road, allowing life to unfold one day at a time, as an ironical and chaotic world would see fit. I have no statistics to bear this out, but imagine nowadays it’s a minute percentage who take such risks with no certainty of reward. I’m not in that minute percentage, so therefore have created a character to do my dirty work, live the fantasy…to be a game changer!

I’m of no particular faith, nor do I have a singular conviction in such matters. Although, when reading The Prodigy of Saint Pete’s I will call upon the atheists in the room to take a leap of faith. It is through faith that Andy can begin his journey. It is through faith that he survives.

Michael De Stefano lives in New Jersey with his wife Kathryn, a retired air force major; son Andrew, a cross-country runner and varsity wrestler for Cinnaminson High School; and two Maltese puppies. He plans to share many more novels in the future.